A look at the top‑ten all‑time performances shows how quickly the event has progressed, with eight of the ten fastest swims recorded in the last three years.

Pan’s breakthrough came during the men’s 4 × 100 m relay at the World Aquatics Championships in Doha in February 2024, where he led off in 46.80 seconds, eclipsing the world mark he had set the previous year. Yet even that swim turned out to be a prelude.

In the Olympic final at Paris 2024, the 19‑year‑old sensation exploded off the blocks and hit the turn in 22.28 seconds, then powered home in 24.12 to stop the clock at 46.40 seconds, slicing another four‑tenths from his record.

According to World Aquatics , Pan finished more than a second clear of Australia’s Rio 2016 gold medallist Kyle Chalmers and former world‑record holder David Popovici.

The win was historic for several reasons. It marked China’s first Olympic gold medal in the men’s 100 m freestyle , and Pan became the first Chinese man to break a swimming world record at the Games. “ Today, I beat them all, ” Pan told reporters after the race, noting that the victory was a response to sceptics who had doubted the Chinese team.

The Global Times noted that Pan’s 46.40 shaved 0.40 seconds off his previous world record and delivered China’s first gold in the event. His final 50 m split of 24.12 seconds was more than half a second faster than his previous world mark, evidence of how much closing speed the teenager still had in reserve.

After finishing third behind Pan in Paris, David Popovici vowed to regain his world title. At the World Aquatics Championships in Singapore on 31 July 2025, the 20‑year‑old Romanian delivered on that promise.

Popovici blasted out in 22.50 seconds and held his nerve in the closing metres to clock 46.51 seconds, reclaiming the world championship and lowering his European record.

European Aquatics reported that the swim, a championship record, moved Popovici to within 0.11 seconds of Pan’s world record. He now owns three of the ten fastest times in history (46.51, 46.71 and 46.84) and is the only swimmer to appear five times on the all‑time top‑10 list.

Popovici’s success in Singapore capped a remarkable summer. In late June, he claimed the inaugural European U23 title in Samorin, Slovakia, in 46.71 seconds, slashing his continental mark of 46.86 and posting the third‑fastest time ever. Weeks later, he added the 200 m freestyle world title in Singapore, completing the freestyle double.

World Aquatics has suggested that Popovici’s European record could soon yield to an even faster swim . In a feature ahead of the world championships, the federation noted that Popovici’s “unrested world‑leading time of 46.71 seconds” at the European U23 Championships illustrated that the world record is “absolutely possible” for him.

Popovici himself believes the world mark is within reach and has credited a relaxed, positive mindset for his improvement.

Emerging stars

The 2025 season has seen the emergence of Jack Alexy, an American sprinter who captured silver behind Popovici in Singapore with 46.92 seconds and later matched that time in a relay anchor leg.

At the world championships, Alexy recorded 46.81 seconds in the individual 100 m final, moving into the top five all‑time. He also broke Caeleb Dressel’s American record earlier in 2024 with a 46.86 in Paris, highlighting the depth of U.S. sprinting.

Brazil’s César Cielo, who set the long‑standing world record of 46.91 seconds at the 2009 world championships, remains on the top‑10 list but has been pushed down to ninth by the recent flurry of super‑fast swims. Cielo’s record stood for 14 years before Pan first broke it in 2023; he is now one of only two pre‑2022 swimmers still in the top tier.

Burkinis, made up of two words, “burka” (a full-body Islamic covering) and “bikini”, are full-body swimsuits that allow Muslim women to bathe while respecting the principles of modesty.

It typically includes long sleeves, full-length pants, and a head covering, whereas bikinis, on the other hand, are western-styled fashion two-piece clothes that typically cover only the breasts, groin, and buttocks and leave other body parts, including the stomach, back, shoulders, arms, and legs exposed.

The swim dress code is the first set of national dress guidelines released by the authorities since President Bashar al-Assad was removed from power in December.

According to the statement , the new rules are designed to respect public decency and reflect what officials describe as the feelings of different groups in society.

According to the order, women’s swimwear must cover more of the body, citing the burkini as an example.

Also, under these new guidelines, women are expected to wear loose clothing outside swimming areas, while men must avoid being bare-chested in public spaces such as hotel lobbies or restaurants.

The new policy further urges people to avoid wearing very tight or see-through clothing in public areas around beaches and pools.

However, an exception has been made for private clubs, hotels rated four stars or higher, and luxury resorts.

In those settings, Western-style swimwear is still allowed but must stay within what officials call the limits of public taste and morality.

This is the first time Syria’s new leadership has issued official rules about how people should dress in public.

Since Islamist-led rebels took power, posters have appeared in some areas asking women to dress modestly, but there had been no formal national policy until now.

A temporary constitution passed earlier this year increased the influence of Islamic law in the country, although leaders have avoided giving clear answers about how far that influence will go.

The tourism ministry’s announcement also included general beach safety advice, such as avoiding strong sun and watching out for jellyfish, but the focus of the rules has been on public behaviour and clothing.

People will wear swimwear that makes them feel comfortable in their bodies during the summer to swim either in the pool or at the beach.

But they have not always been accepted everywhere in the world.

Bikinis were at some point deemed as indecent and a sign of moral decline. These swimsuits sparked controversy at some point in the United States and in Brazil, leading to bans.

These bans were driven by cultural, political, and social tensions, with debates over decency and morality shaping public perception.

In the U.S., the bikini sparked controversy when it was introduced in 1946. Conservative values of the 1950s saw it as too revealing, leading to bans on many public beaches and pools. Despite the backlash, celebrity endorsements and its appearance in movies in the late 1950s helped the bikini gain wider acceptance, though it still faced restrictions, such as in beauty pageants like Miss World.

Brazil’s President in the 60s banned bikinis when it was introduced to the country. President Janio Quadros described it as indecent and Western cultural influence and banned it in 1961.

According to the World In Maps, Brazilian icons like Helô Pinheiro and Leila Diniz defied the ban, championing the bikini as a statement of feminine freedom and national identity. Their resistance helped shift the cultural landscape, ultimately leading to the bikini becoming a celebrated aspect of Brazilian beach culture.